Page 81 of The Graveyard Girls

Derrick gave a noncommittal shrug. “There’s only one way to find out. But if you call her and really want help, you’ll have to play by her rules and commit to treatment.”

“But it won’t bring Jacey back.” He choked out the words, guilt hitting him hard.

“No,” Derrick said gently. “But you can turn your life around and make Jacey’s death count for something.”

“We’ll find the guy who killed her,” Ellie promised. “And make sure he goes to prison and never sees the light of day again.”

EIGHTY-FIVE

Brambletown

Tilly held her breath as she waited for her brother to elaborate. Had he really caused Ruth’s death?

“What do you mean?” she finally asked. “That it was your fault Ruth disappeared?”

Hayden pulled a hand down his chin, waited a beat, then released a pained sigh. “I was pissed at Ruth. She was such a brat and I… didn’t like the way she treated you and… to be honest, those Bramble girls. They didn’t deserve to be humiliated by her.”

Tilly stared at him in surprise. “I didn’t like it either,” she admitted. “I told her they couldn’t help how they were brought up or being poor or who their daddy was.” Still, the Brambles hadn’t been innocent either.

“Same,” Hayden said. “But Ruth thought she was better cause Mom and Dad doted on her and she made all our lives hell.”

Tension built in Tilly’s chest at the resentment in his tone. It took her a moment to summon the courage to ask. Did she really want to know? “Hayden, what did you do? You didn’t?—”

“No, I didn’t kill her,” he said quickly. “But I was mad and told her Clint was cheating on her,” he said. “I just wanted to hurt her, to make her realize she couldn’t have everything she wanted.”

“Was he cheating?”

“Hell, I don’t know. Clint was a player. He could have been.”

“And she believed you? And that’s why she broke up with him,” Tilly said, connecting the dots.

“Yeah, and they had a fight. But she was going to meet him that night. At least she thought she was.”

Confusion swirled in Tilly’s brain. “What are you talking about?”

Hayden’s breath wheezed out. “The guys I was with… we were drinking and I… sort of suggested that one of them leave her a note pretending to be Clint and ask her to meet that night.”

Tilly gaped at him in stunned silence. “You what?”

“It was just a prank,” he said. “I just wanted to teach her a lesson, that she could be dumped.”

“But she told me she wasn’t meeting Clint,” Tilly said.

Hayden shrugged. “She lied. Maybe she was afraid you’d tell Mom and Dad and Clint would get in trouble.”

Tilly massaged her temple. “Who left the note?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Hayden said. “We were all together and none of us left that night. That part is true.”

“So Ruth went out to meet Clint who didn’t show and… got abducted? Maybe by a stranger? Or did Clint know she was going out?”

“If Clint knew, we didn’t tell him,” Hayden said. “Although someone else may have. Or Ruth could have called him.”

“Maybe.”

The silence that ensued made Tilly’s skin crawl. “Who else knew?” Tilly gripped her brother’s arm and forced him to look at her. “Who, Hay?”

He closed his eyes, but not before she saw raw a seed of panic flash into them.